


rebel with a mask

by orphan_account



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Costume Parties & Masquerades, M/M, Plot Twists, Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 22:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20750129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Prince Jackson is having a masquerade ball to celebrate his 20th birthday, which also means that he will be assuming the role as King.The rebels want to make a statement, and so they send their most experienced in combat and seduction, Min. He's to infiltrate the ball and kidnap the prince so that the rebels can make a point.However, his mission is thwarted when the suave, dimpled Nam comes and melts his cold heart.





	rebel with a mask

_ for atmospheric purposes:  _ [ _ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQMiLezKPNY _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQMiLezKPNY)

_ ~~~ _

_ “The King and Queen cordially invites you to the  _

_ celebration honoring the 20th birthday of Prince Jackson. _

_ The gathering will take place at the Palace _

_ on the thirtieth of March, beginning promptly _

_ at the nineteenth hour. _

_ Dress code: any formal wear is welcome, _

_ but no guest will be granted entry if _

_ they do not bring a mask. _

_ We look forward to your attendance.” _

_ ~~~ _

_ “‘We look forward to your attendance,’”  _ Min repeats mockingly. He then folds the parchment into a long rectangle and puts it in his pocket. Scoffing, he says sarcastically, "Oh, we can't  _ wait _ to be there."

Yoon, who's walking alongside him, shares the same sentiment. "You know how the royal family is. They want to promote 'inclusiveness," he emphasizes with air quotes, "even though they often overlook the majority of the population when it comes to policymaking. It's like they don't even want to acknowledge that twenty percent of our country's population is in poverty." He lights a cigarette and takes a drag. "Idiots. All of them."

"You might be onto something, Yoon!" Min responds sarcastically, flashing the older boy a toothy grin. "Maybe you should try applying to the local college!" Scoffing, Yoon says with the cigarette between his teeth, "Of course I can  _ try,  _ but I'm not going to. Learning in a classroom isn't for me."

Min nods in agreement. He felt that way when he had that discussion with his then-living grandfather, who wanted to put him through schooling. However, Min decided to run away and start a new life, and then he met Yoon. The rest is history.

He didn't even know his grandfather had passed away until four months later, due to the kingdom's insufficient health care. He regretted leaving since then, but he also felt grateful for being given these experiences.

He's also going to make sure that no one else is going to suffer like his grandfather did, which is what he plans to do tonight.

Nearby, an old man advertises his cabbages, which are now half off because no one's buying them. However, he is soon stopped by three soldiers who ask for his vendor's license. The man then asks, "How am I supposed to pay for a license if I have no money for it? Why do you think I'm selling these cabbages?"

One guard scoffs, followed by the other two's raucous laughter. "You should've applied for one when they were free on Vendor's Day."

"That 'day' lasted for barely an  _ hour!"  _ The old man counters. "Maybe if the king had any sense at all, he would've known that days are longer than hours!"

"His Majesty had other more  _ important _ matters to attend to," the soldier spits onto the ground. "You sewer rats should be grateful that he was  _ considerate _ enough to give you  _ anything _ for free."

Min stops in his tracks, whipping his head around to get a proper look at the situation.  _ This motherfucker really said— _

"Don't," Yoon warns his partner, his cigarette dangling from his mouth. "It's not worth it."

"Well, if we're sewer rats, you're nothing but a bunch of sheep, blindly following what the king tells you what to do!" The merchant argues back.

However, that seems to piss the soldier off. "Do you question my words, geezer?" He draws his sword and stabs it through four cabbages. The crowd that formed steps back as a reflex. "Surrender the produce stand, or you'll be thrown in prison for illegal merchandising."

Shaking his head, Yoon takes another drag. "Wow, he's an asshole. Not as bad as you, though— Min?"

He glances around and sees that his partner had disappeared.

The blonde man stubs his cigarette onto the sole of his boot, chuckling softly at what's to come. "This is gonna be interesting. I hope he remembers that we have a party to go to later on."

Meanwhile, the cabbage seller begs the soldier to leave his produce alone. "I won't be a seller anymore! I swear to you, I will never  _ ever  _ sell another head of cabbage. Just please  _ don't touch my cabbages!!" _

Using the butt of his sword, the soldier's right-hand man hits the elder in the head, causing him to collapse in pain. At the same time, the head soldier orders his other comrade to destroy the humble stand, which he follows without any further orders. However, before he can, something happens.

Or rather, some _ one  _ happens.

A figure clad in black jabs the soldier in the arm, successfully disarming him, then takes the sword for themselves. They assume a fighting stance, and the crowd sees that they're wearing a bandanna to conceal the lower half of their face. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" they challenge.

The head soldier turns towards the unexpected visitor. "You think you can take on  _ three  _ of the king's best-trained guards?" With an amused smirk playing on his lips, he shrugs. "Let's see you try then."

Away from the crowd, Yoon also smirks, knowing full well who the black-clad fighter was.  _ Those bastards don't stand a chance,  _ he thinks.  _ They're trained to protect, but he's trained to  _ kill.

Min does a fakeout by throwing the sword to the side, then unsheathes a dagger from his boot and strikes. He aims for the lower abdomen, but the head soldier parries the small blade, effectively blocking him from any damage. The two men clash their blades against each other, trying to strike the other wherever they can, but then Min swings his blade under the soldier’s feet, causing him to trip.

Pointing the sharp tip to the fallen soldier’s throat, Min threatens him. “Back off the old man and go hide behind the king’s shoulders, like the spineless bastard you are.”

Although the soldier couldn’t fully see his face, he knew that this battle was over for him. Backing away slowly, fear in his eyes, he gets up once he’s far enough and flees with his men in tow. Once they have left, the crowd erupts in cheers and applause, especially the old man on the ground.

Min helps him up, making sure that the man was okay. The elder starts to sob, hugging the boy tightly and thanking him a hundred times. Under the mask, Min smiles and reassures him that “I’m only doing my job.”

Once the crowd dissipates and the atmosphere is calm again, Min rejoins his partner, who’s checking the time on his pocket watch. “Took you long enough,” Yoon says teasingly, but Min ignores it. Instead, he grunts out a small “let’s go” and the two are on their way to explain the details for the night.

Yoon turns around abruptly, thinking that he saw something strange. He scratches his head, trying to figure out what it was, but then shrugs and continues walking.  _ It's probably just my mind playing tricks on me,  _ he reasons.

~~~

“Well, look who decided to finally show up.” A girl with dyed platinum-blonde hair looks up from filing her nails, her bored expression never leaving her face.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Yoon says. “There was a bit of an  _ accident  _ on the way if you catch my drift.” He looks pointedly at Min, who simply grunts and walks over to a cabinet full of steel cups. “You know how much Min cares about the people, right?  _ Especially _ the elderly.”

The girl scoffs. “Since when does he give a shit about anyone but himself?”

Min bites back, “Since when do  _ you  _ give a shit about what I do, J?”

J, the group’s resident lookout, spins the nail file in her hand like a pen and points the sharpened tip at the boy. “Be nice to your superiors, will ya? We can boot you out as quickly as we brought you in.” She then continues what she was doing, paying no mind to Min mocking her. Yoon, who has gotten used to their banter, just sighs, and calls for the rest of the members to come to the main room. “As much as I enjoy seeing you two go at each others’ throats, we have some business to discuss.” He prepares the main table for their discussion as the others file in.

BM, a defector from a neighboring kingdom, yawns and stretches his arms above his head as he walks in. His hair is a mess, indicating that he has just woken up from his nap. He grabs one of his makeshift dumbbells and starts to do his reps, exercising his bulging biceps. No one bats an eye, except for Jimin, who gulps audibly at the sight of BM’s fit body. (You couldn’t blame him, though. He’s only human, after all.)

Another girl, their information gatherer Yoo, makes her way to the room. Like always, her dyed brown hair is done up in a neat ponytail, and it bounces up and down as she walks down the stairs. She smiles brightly, greeting the others with a cheerful, “Hello, crew! Are we ready for tonight?” No one responds, given that they're all busy with their own tasks. However, she doesn’t seem to mind it, as she takes a seat next to J and starts braiding her hair. J looks up to see who it is, then goes back to her nails. “French braid, Yoo. Last time you did a fishtail, it was a  _ disaster.” _ Yoo nods enthusiastically, and the two girls fall into comfortable silence.

Finally, the last member to arrive (in typical fashion) is Kook, the youngest member and resident weapons and trapping expert. He has just come back from making new bows and arrows, as well as some chains and handcuffs. "Sir! I've made everything you've asked for!" Yoon pats him on the back, complimenting him on his hard work, which causes the boy to blush. Min teases him by making kissy faces, but Kook just sneers in retaliation.

“Alright,” Yoon begins, “now that we’re all here, let’s discuss the operation for the night.”

The others stop what they're doing, except for Yoo, who's almost done with J's braid. Yoon rolls out a map of the castle and pins it down to the table with some woodblocks. Taking a piece of coal, he circles the large structure in the middle—the castle.

“Tonight is the prince’s twentieth birthday, meaning that he’s most likely going to assume the throne as well. But as we all know, he’s no different from his parents. He’s not going to do shit when he becomes king, which is where  _ we  _ come in.

"They thought it would be cute and fun to throw a masquerade-themed party for their son, but to us, this may be our only chance to get our point across—to make a statement to the royal family, using one of their own. We all agree that the royals are a bunch of clowns, and this will make the kingdom agree with us."

The other members nod in agreement, Kook looking a bit more enthusiastic than the rest, and Yoon continues.

"So, since we all can't go because we managed to only get one invite, we're sending Min in to do the dirty work. You got his outfit ready, J?"

J scoffs. "I told Yoo to do it. Unlike me, she doesn't want Min to look ridiculous." Min rolls his eyes as Yoo finishes the braid and goes to get Min's outfit and mask.

After a minute, she returns with a dark blue tuxedo, coupled with a baby blue dress shirt. The collar of the shirt is adorned with gold detail, which matches the gold cufflinks of the blazer. She also holds up some jet black dress shoes, also with some gold detail along the bottom.

The mask is also dark blue and gold, with a white base and small music notes at the top. Yoo says, "It took me  _ days  _ to find this for a good price, so if you lose it," she says the next part with the brightest smile she can muster, "I'll stab you where it hurts."

Min, taken aback by her not-so-subtle threat, gulps nervously and nods. "I-I promise." Only Yoo can make Min  _ truly _ fear for his life. J snickers silently.

"Nice work, Yoo," Yoon commends her. He turns back to the rest of the group. "Now, here are our places for tonight:

J, you're going to be hiding in the bell tower, keeping an eye on the operation from above." He draws a circle around the tower. "Once Min has the prince in his clutches, you're going to alert BM and I, who will be stationed here." A circle is drawn around some bushes, about ten feet away from the castle. "These bushes are big enough to hide him too, which is why I picked it."

BM laughs. "Thanks for keeping that in mind, Cap."

"Again, don't call me that."

"...sorry."

"Anyways," Yoon continues on. "As for you two, you'll be at the rendezvous point, by the town square." He circles said location on the map. "Once we get the prince there, you'll be ready with the set up. And then, as soon as we get the pretty little prince on his knees..." The blonde draws a big, black  _ X  _ on the castle.

"... it's over for them."

The group nods once, feeling confident that their plan will work—especially Min. His former life as an escort will finally help  _ him  _ out.

He clenches his fists and says, "Let's take down some royals."

~~~

It is now time for the festival to begin.

Usually, on the prince's birthday, the village would be celebrating. The streets would be lit up with fireworks and colorful lanterns; street vendors would serve spicy grilled fish skewers and sweet sticky buns, among other delectable festival foods; the common folk would put on their best suits and dresses and dance to traditional musical instruments. Any day to celebrate the birth of a royal was a time of festivity and joy.

For the upper class folk—those related to the royal family, worked in the castle, or had any distinguished achievements or positions—they were invited to the party being held at the castle. There's always a different theme for every event, such as the "gold only" dress code for the princess's baby shower last year, or the "black and white" dress code for the duke and duchess's wedding.

This year's theme, the masquerade, was chosen by Prince Jackson himself, and the results  _ are astounding. _

The chancellor of a neighboring kingdom and his wife show up in a matching silk set, a white tuxedo and white gown, both with silver details. Their masks are also matching, with his being modeled after the sun and hers after the moon. They brag about how the tailor hand threaded  _ every single stitch  _ of their outfits, and the wife laughs haughtily with some friends.

An upper class couple enter after them, donning purple and gold outfits and masks. The wife holds her mask on a stick, only taking it off when talking with strangers. Her husband scolds her for masking herself and forcibly takes the ornate piece away, leaving her looking distraught.

Min watches the exchange from afar, shaking his head. "Wealthy men think they're all hot shit."

"You're telling me."

The unsuspecting boy turns around and sees a lanky, young man behind him. He's wearing a black and gold tailored suit, similar to what the royals are wearing, and a matching mask that covers the top half of his face. His long fingers are adorned with gold rings and black sapphires, and his cufflinks have gold buttons.

However, according to Min, the shiniest gems of all are his teeth. And to make matters worse, he has  _ dimples. _

_ It should be illegal for someone to look this good,  _ Min thinks.

The young man laughs. "I appreciate the compliment," then he tilts his head to get a better look at the shorter boy. "But I feel like I should be saying that to you, sir."

Although he can feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment, Min brushes it off with a small (forced) giggle. "Oh please, you flatter me! And you can just call me Morrow, no need for formalities."

The dimpled giant bows, then takes Min's hand and kisses it. "Well, Morrow, you can call me Nam. It's a pleasure to meet you."

_ Just play along until he gets bored and walks off,  _ Min reminds himself.  _ Save your best moves for the prince. _

"So, Nam," Min starts, "What kind of position got yourself into this gaudy gathering?" The other man's expression is unreadable because of the mask, but he does let out a hearty laugh, which sounds more beautiful than the music being played by the royal musicians.

_ Focus. _

"Well," Nam lets out a short sigh, "I'm studying under a senior advisor to fill in his position later on. It's, uh, not really a _ big  _ deal, but it's good." Min nods, impressed. "And what about you, smooth talker? What big and fancy position do you have?"

Min shrugs. "My father's in charge of managing health care finances. A  _ very  _ important position, as he has to look out for the well-being of the common folk  _ and _ wealthy ones alike.” He says the sentences that he had written prior to the gathering, and he double and triple checked that the health care financial advisor had a son. (Seven sons, to be exact. He wasn’t a very loyal man, like most of the wealthy.)

Luckily, Nam seems to buy his story, and continues the conversation. “Ah, so you’re one of the younger ones! I don’t believe we have met, then. Do you want to follow your father’s legacy, or is there something else on your mind?” Min pauses for a moment, trying to think of some other reason besides  _ his  _ reason to do something about health care. 

However, that doesn’t seem to go as planned.

“I... Well, I  _ do  _ want to do something with health care, but I want to do more work for the lower class—especially the elderly. They’ve been living long lives, and they don’t deserve to die such miserable deaths, you know? Just  _ barely  _ hanging on by a thread until some God of Death comes and snips it in half, taking them away into the afterlife. It’s so unfair, and I hate how the royals don't do shit for them, only caring about their kind...” He trails off once he realizes that he's talked too much.

Min covers his mouth and stares at the floor, avoiding Nam's eyes. "Sorry, I tend to talk  _ way  _ too much about my personal opinions." The other man shakes his head, his lips pulled into a tight line. He gently lifts Min's head by the chin so that they're making eye contact. "I totally understand you, Morrow. No one should have to go like that. But I assure you, if you follow in your father's footsteps, you can absolutely do something about this crisis." Nam smiles. "To me, everyone has the power to change the world—even you."

_ Does he really think that, or is he just playing along, too?  _ Min wonders, and although he wants to believe that it's the former, the latter seems to be more likely.

He clears his throat. "That may be so, but I'm too young to—" Before he can finish his sentence, the band starts to play  _ The Royal Entrance. _

The enormous gold doors open, revealing the king and queen behind them decked out in their finest silks, colored purple and gold. They're not wearing their masks—which are on sticks like some of the other wealthy folk—but they are holding them in their hands. As they make their way to the throne, all of the attendees bow in respect. (Min had to remind himself to do so.)

Once they take their seats on the thrones, the prince makes his entrance.

_ Finally,  _ Min thinks.

Like his parents, Prince Jackson is dressed in a purple and gold suit, complete with a gold crown and matching mask. He follows after his parents and stands next to his mother, as per tradition.

The band begins playing a new song— _ The Royal Dance. _

The prince holds out a hand to his mother, asking for a dance. The queen smiles fondly and accepts his hand, taking it gently and walking down to the main floor with him. They take their positions and begin the ballroom dance, and soon other attendees follow suit.

Including Nam and Min, unbeknownst to the latter.

"May I have this dance, Morrow?" Nam holds out a hand to the boy, grinning genuinely. (So genuinely that Min is starting to lose focus on the mission.) The other boy, not knowing how to respond, simply nods and takes his hand, fixing into a ballroom dance position. He's practiced with J, who's  _ terrible  _ at dancing, so he quietly hopes that Nam doesn't mind not being able to feel his toes after the night is over.

As they dance, with Min trying to keep eye contact with Nam as much as possible and also watch out for the prince, the former can't help but feel a rush of...  _ something.  _ He isn't sure what it is exactly, but he feels... energized. 

The two continue to dance through the hall, all the while staying as close to the prince as possible. Nam doesn't seem to have picked up on why Min was keeping them at this certain distance, which is what mattered to Min the most.  _ The less suspicious he is, the faster I can get him off my back,  _ he thinks.

"You know," Nam says as the song begins to reach its climax, "You seem to be very open minded about policies. Well,  _ way  _ more than your father, at least."

Min tilts his head, trying not to scoff at how the other man thinks he's more progressive than his royal father. "I'm glad you said that. I don't want to grow up to be like him..." He puts on a sad, longing face. "I want to be someone who can be better than him..."

The dimples in Nam's cheeks deepen as he laughs good-naturedly. "I see that in you, Morrow. I see a bright, young man in there, waiting to help those who really need it."

Nam continues on for a while, but Min isn't really paying attention to his banter. Instead, he's making sure that the prince stays in his line of vision. He needs to make his next move  _ fast.  _ The mission is already being delayed, no thanks to the giant (figuratively and literally) getting in his way.

"Uh huh, yes, those are some very nice words," he says offhandedly, then gestures to nowhere in particular. "I need to, uh, go relieve myself. I'll be back soon."

Before Min can head off, Nam grabs him by the wrist, causing Min to stop and turn around. He puts on a polite smile, then looks down at their hands. "Something wrong?" Nam looks directly at him through his mask. "Let me take you there. It wouldn't be very gentleman-ly of me to let my partner go off on his own, would it?"

_ For fuck's sake,  _ Min curses internally.  _ Can I  _ please _ get this guy off my back? _

Before he can go off, he just forces another polite smile and tries again. "You can make an exception this time, sir. I'll be okay for a few minutes."

Nam tries again. "Oh, but I  _ insist.  _ I don't want to risk you getting lost or anything." His smile isn't very telling, but Min doesn't have time for this.  _ I'll just let him come along and sneak away when he isn't paying attention,  _ he thinks.  _ I can't afford to let some good looking stranger to jeopardize our mission. _

"Alright, Nam," Min agrees. "Show me the way."

~~~

It turns out that Nam isn't as easy to get rid of than Min thought.

As they walk through the castle, the older man carries on a casual conversation about other issues he has with the royals, which weirdly line up with Min's ideals. He mentions how the vendors in town should be able to get a vendor's license easily, but the government is "too full of themselves" to actually do something about it. Another issue he's passionate about is the treatment of the squires, or royal guards in training; his friends, Taehyung Sr. ("We have two Taehyungs, so we just call them Senior and Junior.") and Jaebeom, had to go through _ very  _ rigorous training since they were about nine or ten. "Children that young shouldn't have to go through something as horrible as that," he says seriously.

The more he learns about Nam, the more Min thinks about how he would be an amazing addition to their group. After a while, although he agrees with everything the dimpled giant is saying, he slowly starts to tune out and begins to study his physical features: his long limbs that make up about fifty percent of his physique, his prominent pectorals that would make for a comfortable headrest. But above all, the _dimples. _Min can't get over how beautiful his smile is, and now he's almost _dying _to know what the man's full face looks like.

Suddenly, he starts to forget about his mission. He has a new one now.

"Say, Nam," Min interrupts the former. "You seem to be  _ very  _ passionate about many of these issues..." He trails off for a moment, looking up to Nam who's looking down at him. Nodding, Nam encourages him to continue.

_ I'm truly selfish for doing this,  _ he thinks.

"Can I... be honest with you? About me?" Min's throat goes dry as he swallows the lump forming in his throat. Again, the taller man nods, his expression unchanged.

_ "Don't."  _ Yoon's voice filters through his thoughts.  _ "It's not worth it." _

_ Well, to me—someone who has never felt so strongly about something or someone before— _ he  _ is worth it,  _ he decides.

"Nam, I... I'm actually not Morrow, the son of a financial advisor. I'm actually—"

"Yeah, I know."

Min stares up at him with widened eyes. "Y-you knew?" His hands begin to feel clammy as his heart rate quickens. "But, h-how did you know?"

The taller man laughs a short laugh. With a kind smile, he says, "Since the moment you told me 'who you were.' To be honest, Morrow's actually one of my favorite sons of the financial advisor. I know him very well."

Min is at a loss for words.

"Then... why did you play along? You don't even  _ know _ me," his voice starts rising. "I'm just a  _ nobody _ in this kingdom, and yet you're telling me that you would rather spend your time with someone like  _ that?  _ A lowly  _ commoner  _ who you think you can  _ sympathize _ with?" He scoffs, his lips forming a disbelieving smile. "To think you weren't so bad... I'm so damn stupid." 

Tears start to form in his eyes, and now Min doesn't care if Yoo gets onto him later for ruining the mask. The utter betrayal he feels takes priority over some stupid costume.

_ "You  _ don't know  _ me _ either," Nam says, his tone even. Min refuses to look at him, but the former continues on. "You don't know me, and I don't know you. All of that is true, yes, but..." He bends down to make Min look him in the eye. 

The tension between the two is electric.

"But that doesn't mean I don't know how I  _ feel _ about you."

Then, Nam does the last thing Min would think he'd do. He takes off his mask.

When he reveals himself, the other boy is at a loss for words. The other man, despite everything that he's said about himself, is absolutely _ beautiful. _

His fox-like eyes stare down at the younger, but the stare isn't harsh—it makes Min feel...

Like home.

Nam closes those eyes and leans down, adjusting Min's head so he's at a better angle. The other boy slowly smiles, forgetting about everything he was assigned to do in that very moment. _ Let me have this,  _ he prays to no one in particular.  _ Let me have something nice for once in my life. _

As they get closer and closer, a  _ click  _ can be heard, followed by the clinking of chains.

"You are under arrest for conspiring against the royal family," Nam says, leaning down into Min's ear.

~~~

_ Kim Namjoon, captain of the Royal Guard, was in town to run an errand for his best friend—Prince Jackson. _

_ As he walked through the square, he happened to stumble upon a conversation taking place close by. Usually, he would ignore it, but this one seemed to pique his interest. _

_ "So why are we here, exactly?" He heard one person say while he was browsing through some fabrics. At the next stall over—the vendor was selling various metal trinkets—two young men were having a conversation. _

_ The blonde one said, "J wanted something fancy for her room, so." _

_ "And you actually _ listen  _ to her?" The black haired one said exasperatedly. The first boy shrugged. "If it means she'll cooperate, then I don't really care if she wants something random." He spotted a small dagger with a ruby-embellished handle. "She'll like this." He gave the merchant a few gold coins as the two men continue their conversation. _

_ The other boy groaned. "Anyways, the plan?" _

_ "Oh, yeah," the blonde ran a hand through his hair. "We're still going with it. We just need to make sure it gets executed properly, which I'm sure you won't have a problem with." _

_ The other boy scoffed. "You doubt my skills, Cap?" _

_ "Don't call me Cap, Min. It makes me feel old." _

_ "But you are older than me, Yoon," Min countered. _

_ "So the plan," Yoon shut him down before they escalate into a different argument. "Plain and simple: get the prince and make sure he does what he ask him to do." _

_ Now Namjoon is  _ really  _ listening. _

_ The two young men walked away from the stall and walked down the street. Although the fabrics were his priority, and maybe this supposed plan wasn't serious, it was his duty to investigate any threat against the royal family. _

_ He didn't train so hard to become a soldier and support his family to just ignore something as major as this. _

_ The blonde haired boy—whose name must be Yoon—took out a small scroll, and handed it to the other. "I managed to get this from some unsuspecting rich man." Min unrolled the paper and scanned through. Once he's done reading, he mocks the wording and rolls his eyes. _

_ He folded the parchment into a long rectangle and puts it in his pocket. Scoffing, he said sarcastically, "Oh, we can't wait to be there." _

_ Namjoon got a good look at the black haired boy's face, committing it to memory. Once he did, he's about to run back to the castle to report them. _

_ But before he went, he heard a commotion coming from another vendor. He turned around and saw a few guards harrassing an elderly man selling cabbages. _

_ His anger spiked to the highest level, and he was about to unsheath his sword and confront the foolish soldiers. His gaze shifted to the right, landing on the conspirators from earlier. One was clenching his fist, while the other was trying to talk him down—albeit he wasn't really trying, it seemed like. _

_ While his friend wasn't looking, the one called Min turned around and ducked behind some covered stall, covering his face with a black cloth. _

What's he doing?  _ Namjoon wondered, but before he knew it, Min was gone. _

_ ...and then he materialized in front of the soldiers. _

_ The shorter man was quick on his feet, doing everything he could to take down the guards. Namjoon watched in awe, impressed by his skills. _

He would make a great soldier,  _ he thought.  _ Too bad he's an enemy.

_ The fight ceased, eventually, and the soldiers retreated. After they left, the crowd rejoiced, and the old man thanked the "mysterious stranger" for his help. _

_ Namjoon could see Min smiling underneath his mask, happy that he made an impact on his fellow people. He felt almost sorry that he had to possibly take him down.  _

_ But maybe it didn't have to  _ all  _ be in vain. There was still the masquerade that night. _

**Author's Note:**

> (this is kinda late, but i hope y'all enjoyed regardless!)
> 
> follow me on twitter: @communistynkk


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